The room was filled with old filing cabinets. There was a desk in the center with layers of dust coating it. There was also a table lamp, but Justin knew it wouldn’t work. There was no electricity in this place. The windows were boarded up, slates of plywood covering the frames at funny angles, as if they’d been thrown into place in a hurry. Shards of daylight streamed through, helping them to see.
“You take that side, and I’ll cover this one.” Caleb pointed to the left wall. Justin started at the first cabinet and worked his way through, finding nothing on his mother. He knew her first name was Mary but wasn’t sure if he’d inherited her surname. The social workers had been sketchy about that. It was as if they’d picked a last name and slapped it on Justin’s file.
He reached the third cabinet but found no files with the name Mary on them. He pulled one folder out and opened it. “This file dates back to 1912,” he said to Caleb. “How long was this place open?”
“Hell if I know,” Caleb answered as he riffled through the cabinets. “But from what I’ve heard, they used to conduct freaky weird experiments in the basement. Wanna go down there?”
Justin nearly dropped the folder in his hand. “Not on your life. This place is creepy enough. I’m not going anywhere where they performed Frankenstein experiments on people.” Justin’s stomach flipped at the thought. “We’re sticking to this room and this room only, Caleb.”
“Just messing with you,” Caleb said. “No way I’m going down there either. Might be jars of brains and shit lining the shelves, you know.”
That was an image Justin didn’t need. Now more than ever, he was ready to get out of there.
“Hey, I think I found something,” Caleb said as he turned, a yellowing folder in his hands. “Mary Vlore.” He smiled at Justin. “Guess you do have her last name, after all.”
Justin hurried across the room and snatched the folder from Caleb’s grip. He scanned the first page.
Mary Vlore. Admitted March 21, 1993. Patient suffering from hallucinations and malnourishment. Tests have proven acute blood disorder. Patient in second trimester of pregnancy.
And the page went on and on, listing a few more symptoms. Justin’s heart pounded in his chest when he read that his mother stated that she heard voices in her head and saw a man with long red hair and sharp green eyes. Caleb moved in behind Justin and began to read over Justin’s shoulder.
Both their heads snapped up when the door to the records room slammed closed.
“What the hell?” Caleb moved across the room and used his shoulder to try and shove it open, but the door wouldn’t budge.
“No wind did that,” Justin stated as he swallowed roughly. “Someone closed us in.”
Caleb hurried over to the windows and peered out between the slates. His eyes rounded as he turned a bit pale.
“What?” Justin asked as he set the file on the dust-covered table. “What do you see?”
“Nothing good,” Caleb whispered. “Nothing good at all.”
Justin moved to the other window and squinted his eyes as the glaring sun beamed directly into his face. He lowered himself and gazed out another part of the window. His breath caught in his lungs as a wave of dizziness swept over him. There were four werewolves, like the ones he’d spotted in Demetri’s backyard.
And they were heading toward the building.
Chapter Ten
“But don’t they listen to Demetri?” Justin asked as he watched the werewolves scent the air.
“Yeah, but those creatures aren’t my dad’s,” he said. “You see the red in their eyes?”
Justin squinted and saw what Caleb was talking about. “Yes.”
“Those werewolves are lost to their beasts. They’ve fully embraced their creature. They’ll never turn back to humans again.”
Justin’s harsh breathing echoed loudly in the room. “They aren’t the friendly ones?”
“Uh, technically, none are friendly in that form, even my dad’s men.” Caleb peered out of the window again. “When in that form, the beast nature comes out, and the baser instinct kicks in. Food, fucking, fighting, that’s about it.”
Justin prayed like hell that none of those beasties were in the mood for fucking…or fighting. And if they were hungry… He shivered at the thought of one of them chomping down on him. “What are we going to do?”
“They’re going to smell you.” Caleb glanced at Justin, and Justin heard the worry in the man’s tone. “You reek of the king’s scent. So hiding is out of the question.”
“You’re one of them,” Justin pointed out. “Shift and eat them up.”
Caleb gaped at Justin. “While I thank you for thinking I can take all of them on single-handedly, I can’t. I’m not that strong. Not yet anyway. There are four of them out there, J. I can take maybe one, possibly two.”
Justin began to pace, feeling as if death was closing in on him. This was freaking insane. He’d never wanted to see one up close, and now he had four heading his way. He did the only thing he could think of. Justin pulled his phone out and called Demetri.
“What are you doing?” Caleb hissed.